Doors to Childhood

Here's my first attempt at integrating the children into the story. I can understand why they don't appear in FF as much as we might like - it's certainly challenging! This took a lot longer to hammer out and could probably be fine tuned a bit more, but I will throw caution to the wind! There is a part II to this chapter to come and Georg is en route to pick up Max as you will soon see... stay well :)

"If God had to build a door, it's because we erected a wall."

― Craig D. Lounsbrough

Breakfast without the Captain was so very different from dinner the evening before. Maria missed his imposing presence at the other end of the table, even if it did make her somewhat uncomfortable. She wished she could understand why, but seeing his empty chair left her feeling unsettled. She found it remarkable how unaffected the children were by his absence, although it was to be expected given he was away from the villa more than he was at home. At least that is what Frau Schmidt had said.

Poking her Kaiserschmarrn around her plate with her fork, Maria smiled at the children as she tried to settle her mind and decide how to go about engaging them in conversation. She had been at the villa less than a day and there was still so much to learn! She found it so hard to imagine that just yesterday at this time she was in no mood for breakfast - she was so nervous about coming to the villa. So much had changed in a relatively short period of time. Last night at dinner she and the children were barely on speaking terms, and this morning it was almost as though she had been here for days. She most certainly didn't want to lose the momentum she had gained during the storm last night.

It was still strange for Maria to contemplate that she was now in charge of the seven motherless children of the great Captain Von Trapp. Her first impressions of the children had not changed too much since yesterday, but they were no doubt multi-dimensional creatures, just like their father. Maria had spent barely two hours with the man yesterday, but he had truly captured her imagination. As she reflected on her first day for what was probably the thousandth time, she could not understand how he had managed to intrigue, captivate, and infuriate her all at the same time.

To an outsider, Captain Von Trapp seemed to be such a martinet, but Maria suspected that a lot of that was for show, honed over years of service in the Emperor's Navy. After all, even Navy men were real people with real feelings. Perhaps this was the poor man's problem – he had grown so accustomed to tamping down his feelings in the Navy that he forgot how to deal with them once he left it. Maybe it was still the lingering grief he felt after the loss of his wife?

Then, there were these seven children. Absolute hellions yesterday afternoon, yet relatively sweet darlings by bedtime! She shook her head at the insanity of it all, hoping that the good times would keep on rolling.

Maria could already see similarities between some of the children and the Captain; Louisa and Friedrich, in particular. On the surface they seemed so stoic and mature, but last night they had revealed some of their inner warmth and charm. Surely the Captain also had some buried away somewhere. Hopefully this Baroness woman could eventually help to restore it.

Initially at breakfast the children were quiet, most likely because some of them were still not quite awake, having stayed up way past their bedtime. The older children had a look of unease about them, but not because their father was missing. Perhaps they were as concerned with how things would go today as much as Maria was. However, after a few moments of awkward silence, some of the younger children started talking animatedly about last night's storm, Adelaide's little filly, Uncle Max's pending visit, who this Baroness was, and today's weather.

Although she tried to pay attention to the conversations around the table, she could not shake the strange feeling that had come over her earlier that morning when she caught the Captain staring at her from his position in the garage. She could sense that he had wanted to speak to her about something...even if it was just to rhyme off some instructions and remind her of the importance of order and discipline while he was away. Maria smiled inwardly, "He probably didn't want to put himself in a bad mood before his long drive by talking to me so early in the morning. I will be the first to admit that I can be obtuse at times, but it was quite obvious, even to me, that he was not impressed with the chaos last night!" She clenched her teeth in frustration. "Insufferable man!"

Eventually the chatter around the table grew more animated and the older children joined in. Many different topics were discussed including what the children and Maria enjoyed eating for breakfast, what the Sisters ate in the Abbey, what the Sisters wore to bed in the Abbey, what Nuns did all day when they weren't praying, and if the Mother Abbess used a whistle to call the Nuns for dinner. The older children were laughing about the transgressions of past governesses and some of the tricks they used to play on them, apparently just to keep Maria on her toes.

The conversations eventually moved on to outdoor activities that the children enjoyed, books they liked to read at bedtime, and what subjects they were going to study today. The older children had come to an understanding that they had found an ally in Fraulein Maria the night before, and the little ones were so happy to be having fun at the breakfast table. Under normal circumstances when the Captain was at home, the children were to be seen and not heard. They knew that the previous eleven governesses would have shut down the noise well before this point.

Today, they decided to make the most of their freedom. Kurt asked Maria if they could do something other than breathing deeply while they walked the grounds that afternoon. The boys practically begged her to let them at least kick a ball about the yard and the little girls wanted to take their dolls for a walk.

Maria seemingly had dashed their hopes when she informed them that she had already carefully reviewed their father's how-to manual, and with a chorus of groans from the children, she laughed out loud at their long faces. "Don't worry, children, I plan on taking a few creative liberties with your daily lesson plans. We will still study the things your father wishes us to review, but we will try our best to make it somewhat enjoyable". Kurt gave his older brother a look of exasperation and Louisa looked like she wished to burn every schoolbook that existed in the Von Trapp villa.

ooOoo

After the breakfast dishes were cleared, the children and Maria scampered up the stairs to their school room. Earlier that morning after her tour of the grounds, Maria had come upstairs to put together some activities for the morning. Eight sheets of multi-coloured paper were already placed on the table, each one folded in half as if it was a page from a book. The seven children sat down and took their places around the table.

Marta looked up at Maria and asked: "What are we going to do"?

Maria smiled down at Marta's expressive eyes. "Today's work will involve activities that will help me get to know you better, and for you to get to know me as well. We already know something about our favourite things from the storm last night, but I would like to learn more about these things."

Maria sat down in the empty chair beside Marta and announced, "I have given everyone a piece of paper that has been folded in half. On the front of the sheet, I want you to print your name neatly in the top right corner. Print the name of your least favourite school subject on one half of the page, and on the other half, print the name of your most favourite."

At this point the children's eyebrows had collectively disappeared into their hairlines. This was not even close to what the other eleven governesses had requested of them on their first day at the villa. Usually, they started right away with tedious activities like penmanship, spelling, or arithmetic.

Maria continued. "The other side of paper will require some work on your part, specifically some artwork! I want you to draw me a picture of your favourite thing on one side, and on the other, your least favourite thing." When you are done, you will share the things you have drawn with me and then we will post your pictures here, on the wall." Maria gestured at the empty wall that was immediately to the right of the doorway.

Liesl and Friedrich had a serious look about them. This was most unconventional, and they knew it. Louisa smiled and dug her elbow into Friedrich's ribs, encouraging him to go along with it. This was hardly work by their previous governess' standards, and it seemed to them that this might be an activity that they would enjoy. The younger children were besides themselves with glee: they would be able to draw pictures during study time? Even better, they would be able to display them on the wall when they were done! A veritable Von Trapp Art Gallery! The older children would recall how their mother had hung their artwork in the school room in this manner, but the younger ones had no recollection.

Maria could sense their delight as she glanced at their dancing eyes around the table.

"Everyone has to be sure to spell everything correctly, and I want your printing to be neat and tidy."

Mockingly, she looked sternly at their faces. "I know what you are thinking!"

The children looked at each other in a state of shock. She didn't know, did she?

"You are thinking this is not at all challenging and no other governess has let you off this easy before!" The children stared agape at Maria.

Winking she continued, "I know you all appreciate how heavy on the details your father's study notes are, and you are correct if you are thinking that the activities planned for today are not in the list of approved study topics!"

Brigitta could not help but giggle, and soon, the rest of the children followed her lead.

Smiling widely, Maria continued. "However, how will we ever enjoy our summer together if you don't know much about me and I don't know much about you? I will complete my very own piece of paper to share with you all when we are done." Maria grinned at them all as they began to absorb how rapidly things were changing with her arrival.

Maria clapped her hands together. "Ok, let's get to work! We want to wrap this up before lunch. If you focus and get your work done, we will spend the afternoon outside".

Friedrich scowled and Kurt rolled his eyes. Louisa spoke for them all when she said: "Fraulein Maria, we hate breathing deeply. Walking around the gardens is no fun at all. All we do is argue because it's soooo boring!"

Maria laughed at her as she rolled her eyes back into her head and stuck her tongue out. It was the most animated she had seen Louisa since her arrival yesterday. She had realized the afternoon before that Louisa was going to be a tough nut to crack. Inscrutable, just like her father.

"Louisa", she smiled, "we will not be marching about and breathing deeply. We will substitute your walk time with play time". Louisa straightened suddenly, her eyes wide. Did Fraulein Maria just say play time?

"Do you think that is a good idea, Fraulein Maria?" It was Friedrich, the voice of reason, despite his earlier enthusiasm towards the study activities that Maria had proposed. At that moment, Louisa shot him a glare that would knock him down dead. "Father would not approve of us not following the rules to that extent".

"Well, Friedrich, as far as I can tell, your father is not here. He has gone to Vienna for who knows how long and I am quite sure that neither he nor the Baroness are marching about her villa breathing deeply." Maria shook her head slightly when she realized how that came out; yet, she really did wonder how aristocrats and retired naval heroes spent their down-time.

"Hahaha!" giggled Marta. "Father's probably having a drink with Uncle Max on the Baroness' terrace. I bet the Baroness doesn't like sitting in the sun, she's probably inside getting her beauty sleep". At once, all the other children started to laugh. The idea of this Baroness and what she was like had truly captured their imaginations.

Brigitta piped up: "You know, Fraulein Maria, I think you and Uncle Max will get along famously when he comes to visit. Uncle Max really knows how to have fun and he is so unfocused, it drives father mad sometimes!". At first Maria didn't know if she should be offended. "Unfocused?". Maria could not help but chuckle at her cheeky observation, mostly because it was true. She had given some thought to this Uncle Max fellow last night after dinner, including how he might have been related to the Captain.

"Brigitta?" Maria asked. "This Uncle Max of yours, is he your father's brother?"

The children all laughed out loud. "Oh no, Fraulein Maria!" Brigitta replied. "He is the furthest thing from a Von Trapp that you will ever meet! He's not remotely close to being a blood relative, unless you go back to Adam and Eve of course!". Maria could not help but laugh at this comparison.

It was Liesl who carried on with the explanation. "Father met Uncle Max in the Navy. They served together on a warship the first time and then reconnected later when he served on Father's submarine. In between those two missions they remained close friends. We see him so often, that is why we call him Uncle. Uncle Max is even one of our Godparents! You see, Father's brother, Uncle Werner was killed in the great war, so we don't have a real one anymore!" She scowled at Friedrich who looked like he wanted to say something. "Yes, Friedrich, there is Aunt Hedy, but Fraulein Maria was asking about Uncle Max!"

It was Marta who spoke next. "Fraulein Maria! Uncle Max was Father's Best Man when he got married. We have to show you the picture sometime". Gretl and Brigitta nodded earnestly at their sister's statement.

Maria was surprised by Liesl's explanation. Here she was thinking the Captain was a ill-tempered and introverted martinet. Yet, he had become best friends with a subordinate? It was all very interesting. He certainly was a riddle.

Friedrich continued. "Mother used to say that Father and Uncle Max were like oil and water. They are so different, but they are also like brothers. Did you know that Uncle Max's father owned the shipping company that managed pleasure boats on the Danube, that is where he was first exposed to musical acts. Now he is friends with Herr Reinhardt and he spends his time looking for the next big star!".

"Uncle Max sounds like quite the character," Maria replied. There was so much to learn about this family. Despite his absence, the Captain kept surprising her at every turn. "I look forward to meeting him and perhaps we can be distracted and unfocused together!"

Maria could not help but laugh at the notion that the Captain's best friend was not only a subordinate, but an undisciplined impresario who was friends with Herr Reinhardt? She supposed that could possibly explain the Captain's blank stare yesterday afternoon when she had said she might consider a post as governess to his children. Either that or he had realized that Godfried and Wolfgang Reinhardt were practically the same age as she was and hardly needed a governess!

"Well, children, we are seemingly all unfocused today, aren't we!". The children all laughed. "We really should get back to the tasks we have planned for today so that we can do something enjoyable this afternoon. I think the best way for us to have a productive summer is to try to add some balance to our days! If you all focus on your work in the morning, each afternoon we will find an activity we all can enjoy together. Let's call it 'recess', just like during the school year! Now, everyone please get to work on your papers so we can finish and discuss them before lunch."

The children all muttered to each other and gestured wildly at this turn of events. Last night, Fraulein Maria had welcomed them all into her room to comfort them during the storm. She made something scary fun! Liesl recalled how she had saved her from certain annihilation. Had her father found out what she was really doing before the storm came, she would not be allowed to leave the house until she was 30. Kurt was also pleased because last night he could not hold back that giggle in the drill line. Normally that sort of behaviour would earn him some form of punishment, one that usually involved not being able to eat something he enjoyed for days! He clutched his stomach with a grimace.

The children all came to a collective understanding and shook their heads in agreement with Maria's suggestions. So far, as a governess, she had exceeded their wildest expectations. The older children had even sensed motherly tendencies from Fraulein Maria, and that was not something they had experienced for a very long time.

The children picked up their pencils and began to write. The older children worked on their printing first, while the younger ones immediately picked up their crayons. Maria leaned over their shoulders and whispered to them, pointing towards their older siblings. She explained to them that if they followed the older ones' lead, they probably would enjoy the morning more. Leave the best part until last and get the hard work out of the way first! Gretl and Marta nodded in agreement, faces beaming, and they picked up their pencils and began to write. Gretl had to ask Maria which side the stick went on a "P" and Marta grinned to ask if she had spelled her first word correctly.

Maria stood off to the side of the room while the children worked and she looked out the window. The school room was on the opposite side of the villa from her own room and it faced the front of the house. She could see the wrought iron gate and the circular driveway where only yesterday she had tripped across the gravel as she made her way here from the Abbey. The transformation in these children in less than 24 hours was quite remarkable, and Maria could also admit that she had changed so much already as well.

Maria peered towards the garage where the Captain's car had been parked earlier that morning. Just over its roof top she could see the Adelaide the mare and her filly out in the paddock. The tops of the huge trees that lined the Allee framed her view. Looking back down to the front yard, she could still clearly remember the Captain leaning cross-legged against the frame of the garage door holding a cup of coffee in his hands, his blue eyes unyielding in their gaze.

He obviously had noticed her wandering the grounds well before she realized he was standing there. When they finally locked eyes, he paused awkwardly, almost as if he had wanted to speak to her. Maria realized at that moment she had forgotten to breathe. As it turned out, he didn't speak to her. Instead, he simply tipped his hat in her direction and gracefully arranged himself in the front seat of the car before turning over the engine and driving out the gates. It was as if he couldn't get out of the driveway fast enough!

In many ways, Maria was a little bit dejected to have seen the Captain drive off without him really acknowledging her. Although he did tip his hat to her, she wished somehow that he had spoken to her. She wasn't sure why it should matter so much, after all what was she to him other than a return ticket back to Vienna and this Baroness woman? It must be the complexities of the Captain that intrigued her. She had this nagging desire to understand who he was. After all, understanding him would help her to help them all to reconnect as a family. Maybe she could find something in the library later? Austrian naval history, perhaps, or something about the Maria Theresa medal? Those details would help her to fill in the sketch she had already started in her mind.

She looked back towards the table where the children were working. Their faces were set while they concentrated. It was such a change from their expressions yesterday afternoon when they had first looked upon her. Well, leered at her might be a better description. Studying their profiles, Maria decided that Liesl and Birgitta looked the most like their father. Friedrich and Louisa definitely must look like their mother – that she could tell even though she had not seen a photo of her. Kurt and the two youngest were obviously a decent hybrid of their two parents.

A renowned Naval Captain, a Baroness, and their seven children! Maria still had a hard time imaging that God had sent her here to do His work. Despite her initial impressions yesterday, she was in awe with how impeccably behaved they were. They were really dear children, despite everything they had gone through. It was almost as if their shared grief brought them closer together. Once she had earned their trust, things were looking much better for Maria. Earlier this morning she wasn't at all sure how today would go, but her walk about the grounds put her in a good frame of mind. The fragile cease fire she had managed with the children last night had held firm.

Oh, how she wished she knew more about the children's mother. Actually, she wished she knew more about him as well. Undoubtedly, that would come in time, she need not be too impatient. "Oh well!" she sighed inwardly. "At least I will have lots of time to make play clothes and start God's work to bring this family back together".

Still, she found herself wondering what he was doing right now. Did he drive his convertible with the top down? How long would it be until the Captain arrived in Vienna? Maria had only travelled across Austria by train and had no idea what driving in an automobile would be like. Would this Baroness-what's-her-name help him to return to a life of love and a comfortable rapport with his children? Where did he stay when he went to Vienna? Did he enjoy the opera or the Musikverein? Maria shook her head and wondered why she was so interested in the whereabouts of a man she had barely met less than 24 hours ago.

ooOoo

About an hour later, the children had finished their assigned activities. They all decided to sit in a circle on the floor to share their work. Maria had let them go back to their rooms to grab a pillow so they would be more comfortable.

Earlier that morning, Maria had snatched a few straws from the corn broom in the back kitchen to help decide which of the children would present their work first. The children all drew a straw from her tight fist, and she explained that the child with the shortest straw would go first and they would continue taking turns in order of length of their straw.

Each child took their straw and lined them up against those of their siblings to determine their place in the order. Maria smiled inwardly as she congratulated herself on slipping some mathematics into a show-and-tell session. Another one of the skills in her arsenal that she had learned while earning her Teaching Certificate.

The drawing of the straws had determined that Brigitta would go first, followed by Friedrich, then Kurt, Marta, Louisa, Liesl and Gretl. Although Gretl had pulled the longest straw and was overjoyed, she soon realized that his meant that she had to go last. She looked up at Maria: "Fraulein Maria, I am always last. Just because I am the smallest".

Maria smiled and shook her head.

"No Gretl, it's because you are the most important!". Once she had it explained to her this way, Gretl was delighted to have pulled the longest straw, even if it meant she had to wait until the very end to talk about her drawing. After all, hadn't Fraulein Maria just told her that it's a good strategy to leave the best until last? She beamed proudly at her siblings.

During their little show-and-tell session, Maria learned that Brigitta's best subject was science, while her worst was English. Friedrich enjoyed history but didn't really like math. All the children shared their 'bests' and 'worsts' with Maria, each proudly displaying them in their own neat hand. Maria realized that the children's assessments of their abilities were quite different from those outlined in the notes the Captain had given her. She could not help but wonder what incompetent soul had assessed the children in that manner? Was it a previous governess, or was it the Captain? Given how little the Captain seemed to know about proper parenting techniques, it was no surprise to her that he would be dreadful at learning assessments as well!

Maria shared what she liked and didn't like in school with the children, but she explained to them it was important to work hard on things that did not come easy, even if she didn't enjoy them. "Nothing comes from nothing", she remembered her mother saying on more than one occasion, even though most of her memories of her were very hazy. She clasped her hands together and looked skyward as she smiled: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for"?

Liesl pursed her lips and proudly proclaimed: "Robert Browning!" Maria nodded and smiled back at her beaming face. Their mother's English influence had obviously paid off! The other children looked at each other, quite confused by this sudden turn of events. But that was another lesson for another day.

Maria enjoyed seeing the children's artwork and discussing the stories behind them. Not only were the drawings carefully planned and neatly completed, they were all unique, just like the children who drew them. Liesl had an aptitude for drawing, her images were so detailed and realistic. Gretl's little stick people were entirely charming, but they did demonstrate an attention to detail that Maria could envision her developing further as she got older.

Most of the 'favourite' things the children had sketched in their drawings were the things they also had sang about last night during the storm. Thoughts of their first night together made Maria smile. The storm had presented such a marvelous opportunity to bond with the children and they had finally moved on from their pranks and towards building a solid friendship.

Marta had drawn a picture of pink parasol as her favourite thing, and a thunder cloud with a big red "X" through it as her least favourite thing. When Maria asked her about her choices, she smiled and said "Fraulein Maria, I have always hated thunderstorms. Mother Nature gets so angry! But after last night I don't think thunderstorms are quite so bad and could be one of my favourite things if I practice. Especially if you sing to us! I will always remember the fun we were having before Father came and got angry with everyone". With that statement, Marta twisted her hands in her lap and sadly looked down at them.

"Oh, Marta!" Maria said, bringing the child's eyes back up to her own. "What a lovely drawing, and it is so interesting that you sketched the thing you did not like yesterday, but do not find it is as bad today! This is an important lesson, children!"

Maria studied each of their faces and they raised their collective eyebrows. "People change for different reasons and as they experience different things. It is okay to like things today and not enjoy them tomorrow. I bet there are a lot of things that your father once disliked as a boy, but he is quite fond of today!"

Maria looked at their faces and told herself that she would never stray from her chosen path. A life of devotion in the Abbey was her end goal, and just because she was sent here for the summer, there is no way she would find anything in the outside world that would make her change her mind. She paused for a moment, carefully considering Marta's statement about the Captain being angry with them all last night.

"Marta, you mentioned that your father was angry last night. First of all, I must take responsibility for that. He did tell me that bedtime was to be strictly observed, and I didn't listen. After all, even my own mother would have agreed with him – she always told me that strength lies in nights of peaceful slumber."

Maria moved her legs to sit cross-legged on her pillow and she began to speak. "Let me tell you a little story of how just two days ago, I managed to make the Mother Abbess rather angry with me. Now, in many ways, she is sort of like your father. She oversees life in the Abbey and sets the rules that we all must follow. One of the rules in the Abbey is that we are not to go outside unless we have permission. I love to be outside so much, and the day before I came here, I chose to spend the morning on the Untersberg without permission. When I returned, there were consequences! The Reverend Mother was not very happy with me"

Maria chuckled to herself when it seemed her punishment for her latest transgression was to be sent to this glorious villa for the summer! "While you should never go out of your way to disobey your father, it is important to remember that, just like the Reverend Mother was angry with me the other day, your father still loves you all greatly and always wants the best for you."

Each child looked to the sibling nearest to them and then they smiled back at Maria, silently indicating that they understood. Yet, Maria could tell from their little faces that the Captain had a hard time showing the children he loved them, even when he wasn't angry.

In their discussion circle, Maria learned that Liesl did not like homework, Friedrich detested brussels sprouts, Louisa despised Tafelspitz, Brigitta hated good books that ended much too soon, and Kurt did not like being hungry. Marta did not like it when Father missed her birthday and other holidays, and Gretl hated his whistle. It was interesting to note how the younger children were much more open in their discussion of how their father's relationship, or lack thereof, affected them. The older children were well-trained and did not speak freely about their specific circumstances.

Who would have thought a simple teacher's manual filled with suggested activities, reviewed 18 months prior, would provide Maria with so many important insights into her charges. Friedrich Froebel [1] truly was a genius! It had been fewer than 24 hours since she had arrived at the villa, greeted by a baker's half-dozen of hostile children. With Froebel's lessons and a bit of love and patience, she had begun to win their trust, tearing down walls, and opening doors. Her revelation last night that it had been God's will that she be here, to help the children bond with their father again, and to prepare for life with a new mother. In a way, her experience as a seamstress would help her in more ways that she had imagined. She would work hard to knit, darn, and sew this fractured family back together.

[1] Friedrich Froebel was the man who invented kindergarten in 1840! Froebel was an educator who firmly believed that hands-on activities were important in the development and education of young people: "Children are like tiny flowers; they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers." (ref: Michigan State University)